


One Shot - Emergency

by cafeinthemoon93



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio), Doctor Who (TV Movie 1996), Doctor Who: Eighth Doctor Adventures - Various Authors
Genre: Aliens, Classic Doctor Who References, Classic Who Companions Are Awesome, Doctor Who Feels, Don't Have to Know Classic Doctor Who, Eighth Doctor Adventures, Eighth Doctor Era, Gen, New Companions (Doctor Who), Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, POV Original Character, POV Original Female Character, Spaceships, TARDIS Rooms, Time Lord Angst, doctor who - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-26 23:02:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21382039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cafeinthemoon93/pseuds/cafeinthemoon93
Summary: The Doctor and Eleanor are stuck in a spaceship that's about to collapse and has only one exit door, locked by a complex cryptography. As if things couldn't get worse, they have to run from an alien beast that absorbs living things to get energy.
Relationships: Eighth Doctor & The Doctor's TARDIS, Eighth Doctor/Original Character(s), Eighth Doctor/Original Female Character(s), The Doctor (Doctor Who) & Original Character(s), The Doctor (Doctor Who) & Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	One Shot - Emergency

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this one shot a long time ago and only posted it in PT, so now we have the EN version! By the time I wrote it, I just watched the 1996 Doctor Who movie and I remember being obsessed with the Eighth Doctor and his awkwardness and kindness, but I'm not sure if I succeeded in bringing these things to this story. I also wanted to put some desperate energy to the text because of the short special episode with the Eighth regenerating into the War Doctor was my second inspiration for this, and that's why I only wrote an one shot.
> 
> I hope you enjoy ;)

Their feet precipitated across the mesh floors as their run echoed through the corridor with its rounded ceiling, gone down again and reverberated in their ears. The bottom of the corridor with a silver, rounded and heavy door like a bank vault was so abrupt they bumped into it the steel before they had the time to control their feet. The Doctor let the sonic screwdriver slip from his hand, but soon he got it back.

At their back, the alien’s viscous noise was growing louder: it crashed the glass of the lab’s cage and now was dragging across the corridor, looking for the two remaining living creatures in the ship in order to absorb them. The creak of the metallic floor by its weight was intolerable.

Eleanor was looking at the opposite edge of the corridor with apprehension, her hands sweating inside her leather gloves; she found hard to believe they could pass through there just in time; soon the creature would arrive, blocking the way. The emergency lights gone from an unpleasing Orange to a bloody shade.

Then she heard clacks that persisted until they grew as loud as the alarm call, harsh noises as if there were monstrous branches growing and spreading in all directions.

The Doctor was still fighting the door.

\- Oh, it looks the worst part of it just started!

Eleanor turned to him.

\- How could it get worse?!

\- Eleanor, the law the rules our whole Universe is the law of Insatiability – he adjusted the screwdriver as he spoke – It means that things can always get worse.

His seeming tranquility didn’t deceive her: a slight tremble in his hands and an uncommon higher tone in his voice proved he was more desperate than her.

The alien’s noise was now louder and clearer.

\- I think it’s moving faster now – she whisperer.

\- And it is – the doctor made another adjustment in the screwdriver, the sound of the tool being completely suffocated by the alarm – At this moment, it probably grew half a dozen legs.

Eleanor preferred not to answer. The lights, oscillating to the alarm, gone from that violent red to a disturbing purple. The place started to get stuffy. She turned to the door and punched it with her both hands.

\- It’s not going to work – was the answer she got.

\- But stand here doing nothing is even worse! – she forgot about the door and crossed her arms – How are you doing?

\- I never thought I would see this type of cryptography in a ship like this, but...

\- Doctor!

\- Oh, ok! It will take a while. The problem is we’re running out of time and we can’t find another way out! This class of spaceships only have one!

\- Only one?!

\- Yes, because these ships are built by stupid people!

Eleanor opened her mouth, but she decided to keep the thought to herself. _Better for them to be dead now_. She scowled and forgot about the case; the uncomfortable sweat lines were running down by her back, soaking her clothes, demanding more attention than the dead crew.

Three lights crashed in the corridor behind them. The metallic mesh under their feet was shaking with the approaching of the monster. Eleanor saw the its formless shadow raising in the extreme edge of the corridor.

\- Doctor, isn’t there really anything I could do to help you? Please, tell me!

\- No! Not this time, Eleanor. You’re going to have to wait.

She looked around, trying to hold back her tears. But her desperation gave her a break when she spotted, not too far from the door, an "In case of emergency, break the glass" sign. She went there and found an interesting class of weapon, similar to those ones held by the guards when they arrived at that ship. She protected her eyes and broke the glass.

When she walked back to the door, the Doctor needed to look twice to believe in what he was seeing. He raised one hand to stop her.

\- Hey... Hey! Whatever you’re planning to do, forget it! This door won’t...

Eleanor gave him a tired, brief smile.

\- Oh, please, shut up! Who said it’s for the door? – and turning to the corridor, – You’re the only one who can do the hard work here, so do it and leave the easy part with me!

The creature was now visible at the end of the corridor and developed a slightly humanoid appearance in what would be the top of its waist, but under it there was nothing of the human element; the Doctor guessed the number of legs right. They precipitated fast across the corridor, with the morbid sync of a spider’s legs; some of the red goop was still dropping from them and stain the floor where they passed.

\- Come on... Come on... Come on! – Eleanor kept saying it more to herself and less to the creature; its groaning sounded like a roar in the stuffy tunnel. Then she started to scream, pointing the gun to it – Come on! Aren’t you seeing me here, you filthy beast?! I’m right here, in front of you!

The alien, that had no visible eyes, seemed to spot the girl and opened its just-formed mouth; a long, forked tongue stretched out of it, covered with sharp fangs. Eleanor was not sure of what was the worst part: the shape of the tongue, the fangs or the repugnant noise that came out of that throat as a response to her challenge.

\- Eleanor, what are you trying to do?! – the sonic screwdriver almost escaped from the Doctor’s hand again with the surprise.

\- I’m not trying anything! I’m doing it! – and to the monster, – Hey, I’m waiting! Is this all that you got? No big deal, man!

The alien stretched one of its arms with an unpleasing, gooey noise toward them, but Eleanor didn’t waste time and shot the gun against it; the limb withdrew itself at that.

\- Oh, you gotta make better than that if you wanna scare us! Now, cut the whining and fight me!

The girl’s yelling and the pain caused by the shot made the alien furious. It hissed so loud that Eleanor almost dropped the gun to protect her ears, as the monster ran toward her. More shots and screams followed, until Eleanor heard the Doctor’s voice at her back and realized he got some progress in his task.

the alien raised its arms and fingers grew out of their edges; of them, black claws grew then and leaned to the gun on Eleanor’s hands. She kept shooting, but its arms would simply withdraw and regenerate to come back faster.

When Eleanor started to think resisting was useless, she felt his left arm being held as she was pulled behind: the Doctor unlocked the door and now was pointing the sonic screwdriver to it in order to close it. the creature jumped and grabbed itself to the circular opening with its arms and all the six legs at once, as Eleanor shot uninterruptedly.

When the door was finally closed, it cut out half the alien’s legs and some claws from which a reddish matter was dropping, but the monster didn’t give up: its hissing, suffocated by the thickness of the metal, was still disturbing, and the thud of its punches seemed to push the girl and the Time Lord away from the door. Eleanor let the gun fall to the floor.

\- It’ll soon find a way to get in! – the Doctor ran to the opposite side of the compartment and opened the TARDIS’ door – Let’s go!

Eleanor slammed the door behind her back and soon they were outside, as the systems of the spaceship built by stupid people collapsed, causing its explosion with the alien inside it.

***

Eleanor was finding hard to breathe. She leaned her hands on the TARDIS’ panel, hoping her vision to clear. When she was able to stand on her ground without holding on to something, the girl looked around and realized her vision was still blurred. She turned toward the door and quickly wiped away her tears.

\- How are you doing? – the Doctor’s voice came from the other side of the panel.

She hid her hands in the jacket’s pockets to not see how they were shaking

\- I’m gonna be fine. It was a hell of a surprise – she let a nervous laughter escape – I’ve never saw a weapon like that before, by the way! When I first grabbed it, I wasn’t sure if I could even shoot with it!

\- But you did! – he walked around the panel and stopped by her side, with his eyes looking at the profusion of buttons and levers in front of him – Speaking about that, why did you keep yelling at the creature? It was furious. You could be dead by now!

\- It would kill us both if we took a bit longer to get out of there! – Eleanor took her hands out of the pockets, crossed her arms and leaned on the panel – But answering to your question, the case is that I was afraid. I was scared, scared like I’ve been in a few times in my entire life. But the alien didn’t have to know, so I started to make some noise to distract it and get myself some courage. And I think it worked.

\- Yes, maybe it did. But I still think it was too risky.

Eleanor laughed.

\- Hey, are you never gonna forgive me for this? I got some moments for you too.

\- And I appreciate your efforts – the Doctor looked into her eyes and smiled; only then Eleanor noticed how tired he was. – But I also appreciate when I can be sure you won’t do anything to put yourself in danger.

\- Please, forget about me for a little while, ok? Tell me how _you_ are doing.

For some reason, inscrutable to the girl, he looked surprised by the question.

\- Me? Of course I’m fine! Why wouldn’t I be?

\- I don’t believe you – her voice was now serious and concerned – How can you be ok after all that?

The Doctor returned to his previous spot and looked at the screen upfront the panel.

\- Eleanor, you might want to believe me or not, but the fact is that I am fine, and I have no reason to hide that – he nodded in his good manners – But I’m really grateful that you didn’t forget to ask.

She thought he was doing anything but fleeing from the question. Then while he was still speaking, she walked toward him and hugged him. The Time Lord’s first impulse was to cringe by the intensity of her gesture, but this sensation was promptly repressed, and he returned the hug.

\- What is it now?

\- Just in case.

\- Well, thank you.

\- Oh, no! No _thank yous_, ok?

\- Ok.

She stepped away from him as suddenly as she has approached and left the panel room, saying she was dying for a shower and that she was going to burn the clothes she was wearing now except for the gloves, for they were a part of what she used to call her working tools.

Eleanor didn’t see it, but as the Doctor stared at the screen showing the dates of their next stop, its blue light reached his eyes at the moment the first tears fell from them.


End file.
